Labin

The medieval town
of Labin is situated on the hill above Rabac. Its old name of Albona was first
mentioned in 285 AD. The birthplace of Matthias Flacius Illyricus, the reformer
and collaborator of Martin Luther, it is a cultural and administrative center
today. The rich cultural and architectural heritage of Labin is enlivened by
number of art ateliers and by the bustling youth gathering in the coffee bars
scattered around the old town. The Sculpture Park in nearby Dubrova features
over 70 forma viva stone sculptures. After a walk through the narrow streets of the Old
Town, pay a visit to the Town Museum with its archaeological and unique in this
part of Europe, a miniature coal mine. Have a loot at the Memorial collection
of Matthias Flacius Illyricus, peek into the art ateliers, enjoy the view of
Rabac and Cres island from the Fortica or pop into the small, elegant shops and
take refreshments on one of the terraces of the local coffee bars. Whether to
do business or just to have a chat, these are the places where everyone meets

Labin, a picturesque town situated on a 320
meters high hill and only three kilometers from the seaside, was
inhabited already two thousand years B.G. The remnants of Kunci, one of the
settlements called the 'castellums', dating from the Bronze Age, can be found
in the vicinity of Labin. Its old Illyrian-Celtic name is Albona or Alvona and
it was probably founded by Celts in the 4th century B.C. on the ruins of the
ancient city. Some historians say it was fortified by the Illyrians in the 11th
century B.C. They also say that Albona in the Celtic language means 'a town on
the hill' or 'an elevated settlement'. Titus Livius said that Labin inhabitants were
pirates. After the conflicts between the local inhabitants and Romans, which
had started in the 3rd century B.C., Istra came under the Romans in 177 B.C.
The borderline was the river Rasa. Labin and its surroundings thus became an
integral part of Illyrian, the Roman province with a high degree of
independence and authority over the nearby settlements. The oldest written
document about Labin is a relief from the 3rd century with the